UK delivers more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine as Nato pushes after incursions

The UK has supplied more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine in the past six months of this year, the Defence Secretary has said.

John Healey made the announcement ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which is being co-hosted with Germany, in Brussels.

Mr Healey also confirmed that the UK has invested £600m this year to accelerate drone delivery for Ukraine's armed forces, including tens of thousands of short-range first-person view drones that are crucial to supporting Kyiv's frontline.

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These drones are being utilised for precision strikes, reconnaissance, and disrupting Russian activity behind the frontline, countering Russia's own attempts at massed drone tactics.

"Putin's dangerous escalation in Ukraine and across Europe must be matched by ramping up our drone production and strengthening Nato's air defences," Mr Healey said in light of the increased drone strikes in Ukraine and incursions into Europe.

"The UK is stepping up our support to Ukraine by delivering over 85,000 drones in the last six months and signing new industrial partnerships to rapidly develop thousands of new interceptor drones to shoot down Putin's attacks."

Last month in Kyiv, the Defence Secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shymal signed an industrial partnership through which the UK is jointly developing an interceptor drone already being used by Ukraine to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian drones.

Data from the battlefield is being used to help mass-produce the Octopus interceptor, aiming to provide thousands of new and improved interceptor drones to Ukraine each month.

The Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP, who is also attending a meeting of Nato's Defence Ministers, added the UK's commitment to Nato's Eastern Sentry air policing mission was continuing to the end of the year.

Royal Air Force Typhoons have been taking part in the flights over Polish airspace after Moscow's drone incursion in September.

Mr Healey also revealed that British military counter-drone experts will be deployed to Moldova, where they will help train Chișinău's armed forces in counter-drone tactics.

The Drone Capability Coalition, which the UK co-leads with Latvia, is using funding from several nations to procure advanced drone-interceptors to help Kyiv combat the threat of the Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones.

Interceptors are being analysed on the battlefield now, with the coalition set to dole out contracts very soon to provide Ukraine with more kit, including around 35,000 new interceptor systems in the next few months.